Cry for solution of the decades-old Naga issue is growing louder in Nagaland with various organizations calling for resolution of the problem.
Also read: Contain irritation for solution to Naga issue: Nagaland Tribes Council to negotiators
The All Nagaland College Students’ Union (ANCSU) on Wednesday appealed to the government of India, through Nagaland governor R N Ravi, for early settlement of the long-pending Naga political issue encompassing the ‘sovereign rights of the Nagas’.
In a memorandum to Ravi, the union said it aspired that the settlement should be honourable and acceptable to the Nagas.
Also read: Nagaland Tribes Council’s appeal to avoid issues that may delay Naga issue
“It is an earnest appeal to the government of India to recognize and acknowledge the unique political rights of the Nagas,” the union said.
The memorandum appended by union president Katho P Awomi and general secretary Vimeyiekho Vitso added that the union is of firm belief that a great nation like India would not deviate from its commitment to solve the Naga issue.
Also read: Indian government not committed to solve Naga problem: NSCN-IM
It alleged that the government of India over the years has deliberately not prioritized the Naga political issue.
Drawing attention of Ravi to the sincere aspiration of the Nagaland college students, the union said the ‘decades-long pending Naga political issue has put doubts and fears in the minds of the Nagas’ but after he was assigned to address the issue as the interlocutor and now as the governor once again revived the hopes of the Nagas for an early settlement.
On Tuesday, the Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) appealed to the negotiators of the Naga issue, particularly the Naga negotiators, to ‘contain any amount of irritations at the moment’ for the sake of paving the way for solution and not be reactionary as it will boomerang on the Nagas.
Council president Toniho Yepthomi and general secretary Nribemo Ngullie said the council had high hope that the years of political negotiations between the government of India and the Naga negotiators are about to bring the Naga issue to a logical solution.
It reiterated its appeals to all the negotiators to be magnanimous and bold enough to hammer out the positive result without hesitation or delay within the ‘scheduled time’.
Ravi at a public function in Kohima in August said Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants resolution of the Naga issue within three months.
The council reiterated its ‘adopted stand’ that ‘when land integration is not possible at the moment, we cannot opt for population integration’.
According to it, there will be demographic changes ‘as and when Nagas attain sovereignty and integration’ and until then the state of Nagaland will remain as it is rather than ceasing to exist.
The latest two rounds of formal talks between the Centre and the NSCN-IM in Delhi ended in deadlock over the latter’s demand for inclusion of Naga flag and constitution in any final settlement.
Both sides are reportedly sticking to their respective stand over the two demands.